“You are powerful, mi Adelinetta,” she says, “but you have all the charisma of a burnt potato pudding.”
“I like burnt potato pudding. It’s smoky.”
— Chapter 6

On his fourth night as prisoner, the queen finally sends for him.
He goes in chains.
— Chapter 14

So much could be said about noble roses and the supposed queen of flowers ... and yet everyone will complain about thorns and scratches. If you’re looking for the beauty and the fragrant smell of roses, look elsewhere. But if you don’t mind the more vicious and pointy aspects of the flower, this specimen might be to your liking.
Flower talk and imagery aside, this is anything but a pretty and frothy story (but it still allows humour). Adelina is far from your nice girl next door with the benevolent magical powers and the path she entered, or depending on perspective was entered on in the last book only continues in its dark direction. Every villain is the hero of their own story and I like a well-layered character. In fact, from Adelina’s perspective it all makes perfect sense and it is very interesting to follow her reasoning and choices. But if you remove yourself from the immediate action and consider what just happend, this series will get you thinking about moral compasses and sympathetic judgement.
I can’t fully support any of the characters as all of them aren’t morally unblemished. Yet sometimes that is entirely too much to ask for and everyone will have to choose between their two or possibly more evils.
I can imagine that this wasn’t easy to write and I keep admiring Marie Lu for her clever plotting and superb character building. Even though she clearly belongs to the guild of authors who collect their readers’ anguish.

Are there morally ambiguous characters you recommend who don’t necessarily twist reality until it supports their choices but who would be deemed as villains for their actions if the story was told from another perspective? Let’s hear from you in the comments.

So I was officially sixteen. For my present, I got cornered by Uncle Freaky, who announced that I was marked for assassination.
— Chapter 3

“Well, I live a double life. Tonight, I’ll escort you to dinner. Then I have to rush home and finish my calculus homework.”
“You’re not joking, are you?”
“I never joke about calculus homework”.
— Chapter 12

The first thing I realised when I started this book was that while I was quite on top of things concerning all things Greek, Roman, and Egyptian gods I really need to brush up on my Norse mythology if I want to understand all the references. Sure, you can enjoy Rick Riordan without the extra layer, but it is literally double the fun if you get to laugh at all the jokes.
I will dearly miss Percy and the crew of demigods, but I’m very optimistic that I’ll like Magnus Chase just as much. And if you’re wondering about the surname, I’ll have to say that some traits are obviously hereditary. This is a promising start to a great new adventure and I couldn’t imagine a better author to tackle this complex field.

If you had the choice of which circle of gods your family was related to, would you choose Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse or something else altogether? Share preferences and teasers in the comments.

My anger burns like the flame of a struck match but dies out just as fast. Because we don’t have to inherit everything from our mothers. Their fights don’t have to become ours.
— Chapter 27

I don’t approach giddiness lightly. I may have never before been in sniffing distance of giddiness. I may have never before used the word “giddiness”.
— Chapter 33

How often a day do you say or think the phrase “I wish ...”? And how often do you actually wish for the thing you’re asking? And I mean really wish as in need instead of just wanting to indulge? And now imagine that a) there were creature that can actually make your deepest wish come true and b) even figure out by themselves which wish is your absolute heart’s desire with no problems. Sounds like a really good thing and everyone gets to be happy. The end.
That would be pretty amazing but not very book-worthy with no conflict and all. So make the wish-granter a teenaged girl with all the insecurities despite not being human and also a boat load to psychological baggage. Add in some rebellion from said teenager at her destiny, a bunch of frenemies, family secrets, and a dictatorial ruling entity and there you have a plot worth telling. Season to taste with fun dialogue, several intriguing sub-plots, and themes of friendship and romance.

This is not due to the anniversary edition of the Aladdin DVD, I promise. Even though I love that movie and think that Genie was what made the movie. I don’t know what I’d do with three wishes ... I have some ideas, but I find the idea of having just one really interesting and worth considering. Would the number make a difference to your wish? It obviously can’t be getting a hundred wishes. Mastering a skill? Curing a disease? Finding a solution for a global problem? I’d really like to know what you’d come up with! Share wishes and teasers in the comments.

“And the idea is to start at the beginning.”
“So this is a chronological scavenger hunt then.”
“It’s not a scavenger hunt at all. Think of it more like a refresher course.”
“A refresher course in what?”
She smiles at him over the top of the car. “Us.”
— Chapter 1

Just one teaser today for two reasons: I don’t want to spoil any of it for you and I have a really hard time right now to find a place that would make any sort of sense without context. So there you have it, one teaser from the very beginning.
This book is slightly different from Jennifer E. Smith’s usual plot lines as this is not so much about a couple getting to know each other and falling in love but a couple getting to un-know each other with all the things they think are true about the other. It’s highly sort of heartbreaking and romantic at the same time, and since I think I know the outcome all the more so.
I’m almost certain that ultimately I won’t like this as much as The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, but then again that one is hard to top. Maybe it’s the general topic. There is always hope so maybe things will turn out alright.

Are you the clean break sort of person? Not necessarily in the sense of romantic relationships but as a general way of dealing with endings? I’m an “end with terror than terror without end” sort of person I think ... let me know in the comments if you like and share your teasers.